Reporter freed on appeal

Reporter freed on appeal

By Ye Mon   |   Friday, 04 July 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma video-journalist U Zaw Pe and his co-defendant U Win Myint Hlaing were released from Thayat Prison on the morning of July 4, after the Magwe Region Court on July 3 reduced their sentence from one year to three months.

U Toe Zaw Latt, the organisation's Yangon bureau chief, said the sentence reduction was a very positive development.

He maintained, however, that DVB believes U Zaw Pe "was innocent of both charges … and that the sentence should be completely dropped".

Defence lawyer U Thein Tun said that the charge and punishment were unfair so the July 3 judgment was correct.

"The reporter and student's parent were released [on July 4]. Their three-month sentence was to end on Sunday [but they were released early because it] is a holiday," he said.

The pair was jailed after the Magwe Region Education Office's assistant officer U Maung Ngwe filed a complaint against them on August 25, 2012, after they questioned officials about qualification criteria for a Japanese scholarship project.

Magwe Township Court sentenced them to one year in jail on April 7 for trespassing and obstructing an official while on duty.

The defence lawyers appealed to the district court on April 9 but the appeal was turned down. They then applied for a revision to the Magwe Region Court on April 11. Lawyers from both sides gave final arguments on June 24.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/07/06/reporter-freed-on-appeal/